Scott Walker – “Look to the states”

posted at 8:01 am on March 21, 2013 by Jazz Shaw

One story you might have missed from the last week was the musings of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker as he reflected on how the nation can wrestle with its current problems. This isn’t brain surgery, as Ben Carson might say. It’s the simple observation that where Washington has failed miserably for several years now, the states have – in an inspiring large number – succeeded. A few of the highlights from his recent interview.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said dismayed Republicans should look to the states for hope.

“Many people are frustrated with Republicans nationally … but go down the line of Republican governors and you’ll see leaders who are more optimistic, more relevant, and more courageous,” Walker said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon.

The GOP has tried to figure out how to broaden its appeal to blue collar workers, minorities, and women in the wake of Barack Obama’s reelection.

The specifics of where governors are winning and Washington is losing – horribly – won’t come as much of a surprise to regular readers.

“We need to use language that is relevant to people—they’re concerned that their sons and daughters won’t have jobs, that their neighbor’s been out of work for six months, that their children and grandchildren won’t be able to afford this massive national debt,” he said. “In Wisconsin, we were realistic about our challenges, but optimistic about solving our problems.”…

The reforms emboldened Republican governors in the Midwest, a historic labor stronghold, to successfully take on union interests. Walker’s victory inspired Indiana and Michigan to become right-to-work states in order to compete for job growth.

“As conservatives we love competition; we don’t shy away from it,” he said. “The good news amongst Republican governors is that people have taken on the big reforms in education and budgets and entitlements.”

I believe this ties back very nicely to some of the challenges facing the GOP over the next decade which we’ve discussed recently, and Walker’s early work has highlighted them in a real world, functioning laboratory. It’s all well and good to say that business needs to be able to compete and thrive to support capitalism as a foundational principle of democracy. But it really does nothing for the person who is asking how they’re going to find a job or if they will keep the one they’ve been lucky enough to hold on to thus far. Walker managed to demonstrate how overly powerful unions were crippling the very engine which creates jobs and how – when they are held in check – business can bounce back, grow, and create the space and demand for additional workers.

Similarly, there probably aren’t many people in the country who would deny the need to educate the next generation and prepare them for the challenges of adult life. But rather than just railing about teachers’ unions as some sort of negative force in a free society, governors have drawn stark lines demonstrating how much of each person’s hard earned dollars are flushed down a rat hole producing very little return on investment. The alternative? School choice and local level control, not just as a theory, but as a system which delivers a profitable result to the working class parent.

This isn’t just some song of praise to Walker as an individual or potential future political animal – though he’s certainly earned any praise you may wish to lay at his doorstep – but as an example for others. To be successful, the GOP should be begin crafting a message which provides a demonstrable return on investment for voters, leaving the icing on the cake of constitutional principles for dessert.

Breaking on Hot Air

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Comments

Let’s take back the terminology. It isn’t “path to citizenship” or even amnesty. It is a plan for preferential treatment of illegal aliens. Seriously, I know people who waited years and had to spend thousands to become citizens. I have no support for those who would reward those with illegal alien status.

Liberals will not long allow the states to be creative in meeting problems, most of which are caused by Washington and by liberals with their chosen sacraments of SSM, abortion, and entitlements. They will either join the idiots in DC (like with the CO gun and magazine ban) when they gain power, or do everything to undermine efforts when out of power (like the recall vote against Walker by the teacher unions). And, of course, the courts to declare unconstitutional an amendment to a state’s constitution (like with the SSM case before SCOTUS).

If liberals are to succeed, free thought and action independent of Washington and the Democrat machine cannot be tolerated.

“Many people are frustrated with Republicans nationally … but go down the line of Republican governors and you’ll see leaders who are more optimistic, more relevant, and more courageous,” Walker said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon.

Courageous — like Scott in FL and Brewer in AZ, agreeing to expand Medicaid so they could get more magical Obamabucks (at least in the short run)?

But Scott is right about the states being the answer. If we’re going to have any hope of saving this country, the states are going to need to take the lead. The states need to re-claim their constitutional authority; authority that they’ve foolishly ceded to the federal government too many times.

Let’s take back the terminology. It isn’t “path to citizenship” or even amnesty. It is a plan for preferential treatment of illegal aliens. Seriously, I know people who waited years and had to spend thousands to become citizens. I have no support for those who would reward those with illegal alien status.

With the consensus that there will be an immigration bill passed some time this year, it is critical that there is a national policy that spells out the difference between immigrants who are on a path to citizenship, (working, paying taxes into the system, and collecting benefits), and an actual “right to vote” as an American citizen.

Every “immigrant” working here with a legal status, MUST also carry the proper ID that says in essence, “working status approved” “NOT A LEGAL VOTING AMERICAN CITIZEN”.

Let the Democrats chew on the fact that it will be over 10 years of continuous residency and passing the test of understanding the Constitution—in English—before voting status is granted.

Let the Democrats chew on the fact that it will be over 10 years of continuous residency and passing the test of understanding the Constitution—in English—before voting status is granted.

Rovin on March 21, 2013 at 9:13 AM

I like the idea of identification that proclaims they are not legal voters. However, given the large number of stupid english-speaking people here who are citizens and don’t have a clue about the Constitution, I can’t support an understanding of the Constitution as a requirement to vote….. UNLESS WE EXTEND IT TO ALL VOTERS.

My bad. I had assumed that our public, (federal), education system would cover the Constitution for every American student at some point before they graduated from HS. One would think that the founding document that completes the foundation of how our government IS supposed to operate, would be understood. Perhaps our liberal progressive “leaders” should be pinned down on what they believe is a priority for all Americans.

The owners of the gop (Big business) should be thrilled that the Union buster wants to run.

But he’s wasting his time because Texas is going blue if he gets AMNESTY.

Viva the leaders of the end-of-America Party!!!

PappyD61 on March 21, 2013 at 8:14 AM

Although I agree that Texans need to be vigilant in keeping Texas conservative…Currently the Liberal Catholics are outnumbered by a combined denominational Protestants as a voting block. Baptists being the largest single block close to the Catholic demographic percentage

South of San Antonio is predominantly Catholic – 30.9%
Baptist – 7.89%

“Geographically, Texas tends to be heavily Protestant in the north and east and Catholic in the south and southwest. Leading Protestant denominations and their known adherents in 2000 were the Southern Baptist Convention, 3,519,459; the United Methodist Church, 1,022,342; Churches of Christ, 377,264; Assemblies of God, 228,098; the Presbyterian Church USA, 180,315; the Episcopal Church, 177,910; Independent Charismatic Churches, 159,449; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 155,451; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 155,019; Independent Non-Charismatic Churches, 145,249; and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, 140,106. Roman Catholics numbered 4,368,969 in 2000. There were an estimated 128,000 Jews, 114,999 Muslims, and about 10,777 adherents to the Baha’i faith. There were about 9.2 million people (44.5% of the population) who were not counted as members of any religious organization.”

My incredibly stupid state government is about to pass in state tuition for children of illegals.
The comments on the Portland TV stations FB page are overwhelmingly and vehemently against it. Surprising to me.
I do not think the majority of the little people, left or right support the politicians’ ideas on this this issue, but then again, the little people are paying for this mess and don’t need votes.
Maybe all the gop needs is someone who will actually do the right thing and put Americans first.

This is really frustrating…Aside from a direct and concerted effort to round up illegals…including at their homes or work, or school…containing them in numerous “camps” across the US, and shipping them out to their home country, anything short of that would fall under the “amnesty” umbrella.

That ain’t gonna happen, just based on the logistics of such an operation, the costs, the effects on children and families, and the political ramifications. So it’s well past time get over the whole “amnesty” bs and throwing any GOPer who so much as mentions some “path to citizenship” under the bus.

The sooner we get over that, the better. Make no mistake, I’m all for sealing our borders, build a wall, heck…put armed guards in towers with Gatling guns. A sovereign nation cannot exist with open, porous borders. Of course, over half of illegals in the US didn’t slip through a hole in the fence or over a barrier…they came legally and overstayed their visas. That’s another thing we should do…to be much stricter on.

His state voted for Obama. Yeah, they did it, and will keep doing it. I doubt Walker could carry his own state.

rubberneck on March 21, 2013 at 8:32 AM

THIS x1,000,000

PappyD61 on March 21, 2013 at 9:02 AM

Yes because Mitt and McCain had exactly the same message as Walker.

– x1,000,000

It was the message that won the day for Walker. Small Government and he has delivered on that message. It could not have been more different than the bigger Government message of McCain and Romney.

Mitt was 15 points behind Walker and the message was the one and only reason for that. Mitts GOPe message stunk on ice and lost him the election. Well that and his core beliefs came out from time to time. You know pro Obama Care. Pro Abortion. Pro Gay Marriage. He tried hard to hide them but they did come out from time to time.

And ANY of the Democrats are better??? This man had the cajones to stand up to the radical far left, the unions, the Obama admin. AND WON..
I would vote for Scott Walker in a presidential race in a HEARTBEAT..

The “just look to the states” approach has some validity but it is truly too simplistic. Yes, the progress made by the Republican Party has been made on the state levels, but I can tell you that in many cases the state legislators are just as venal as those in Washington. Too many are looking at the wrong issues. (i.e. when Texas was suffering an ugly financial picture, the first piece of legislation considered was a fetal heart/anti-abortion bill). Progress is being made in the states, but in many cases it is in spite of many truly stupid legislators.

Legislators in Washington, D.C. have been there too long. They no longer hear the voices of their constituents. I have never favored term limits, but I no longer vote for incumbents. Maybe term limits is the answer.